Brothers by Birth, Friends by Choice!
by Secret52
Summary: Shuuske and Yuuta Fuji come closer together as brothers. A little bit of AU.


**Disclamimer: I don't own a thing.**

**One thing I learned from writing this is that when Yuuta says Aniki, I'm thinking Anikin from Star Wars.**

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**Fuji Shuuske= 11 years old**

**Fuji Yuuta = 10 years old**

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**Words to know:**

**tousan=father**

**kasaan=mother**

**nisaan=brother**

**ankiki=big brother**

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_**Brothers by Birth, Friends by Choice**_

The quarrel between Fuji Shuuske and his brother, Fuji Yuuta had started months ago, 'way back in March during the final Tennis Tournament for that year. Like all the other boys from their city and the surrounding area, Fuji and Yuuta had taken part.

Yuuta had been pretty sure he could beat his older brother and win. He had been practicing hard and beaten hundreds of other older boys before. Certainly he shouldn't expect too much competition from his brother. Although Fuji was one year older, Yuuta had been able to beat him before….like once.

But Yuuta had been wrong- it had been Fuji who had won.

"You are so annoying," Yuuta stormed at his brother when the match was over. "Just because you won doesn't mean you have to grin like that. If I didn't know a thing about tennis, I'd say you cheated somehow!"

"Don't be silly, Yuuta!" Fuji answered, smirking innocently. He was proud with the delight of winning, and it led him to make a joke. "The way you swing a racquet, you probably missed more balls than you hit."

A loud roar of laughter came from the other boys who were standing around them, for Yuuta's impatience with swinging his racquet too early was well known to all. The long, dull hours of standing and swinging his racquet were boring. Yuuta's racquet was also too big for him and it made playing slightly difficult.

"That's Yuuta, all right," the boys taunted now, "Swinging his racquet too soon."

Yuuta was proud and quick-tempered. Laughter like this was even harder for him to take than defeat. Furiously, he stamped away from the tennis courts and left for home without waiting for his brother.

Fuji had regretted the joke. He knew how deeply the laughter had hurt his proud brother. So, in the days that followed, he tried to show Yuuta that he was sorry.

He whittled a whistle out of wood for Yuuta. He tried to show his brother how to do some of his special tennis moves. He even confided to his brother his dream of saving this summer's gate-tips to buy a beautiful harmonica he had seen downtown.

"It's this long," he explained, and he measured the air with his hands. "The music I could make on it would be unbelievable, Yuuta. I know I can save up enough money to buy it this summer."

In that section of Japan, the roads that tourists had to follow cut across private property and the occasional wheat field. Each area was divided from the next by a fence.

Few tourists wanted to get out and open each gate, drive through, get out and close the gate again. So boys had taken to getting there to run ahead and do the job for them. The tourists would give them a handful of coins for each time the boys did this.

Yuuta, too, had planned what he would do with his gate-tips. He would buy himself a good, well-made tennis racquet. It would be the most beautiful and sturdy racquet ever. It would be made of the toughest wood and polished till it shone. It would have the best strings and grip tape too.

But Yuuta did not tell Fuji of his plans. In fact, he would say nothing at all to his brother. Instead, he chose to hold a grudge against him.

When Fuji found that his friendliness to Yuuta met none in return from his brother, he withdrew in hurt silence. _Why is Yuuta holding such a grudge against me? _he wondered. Maybe it had not been kind to make the joke, but he had tried to show Yuuta that he was sorry.

So summer came, and it was time for the women and younger children to leave for safer grounds. Summer flooding was a common occurrence in this part of Japan. Not so long ago, Fuji and Yuuta would go with them.

But now at ages 10 and 11 they would stay with the men and help their tousan with more responsible work.

One day before the leave-taking, the boys' father directed them to help pack away the last of the belongings that their mother and sister would take with them in case of a flooding. Fuji was instructed to lock up the safe where the most expensive belongings were kept.

But when the packing was done and their kasaan was calling them to dinner, Fuji went inside, forgetting to lock the safe. Yuuta opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly shut it again. It wasn't his job to shut the safe- it was Fuji's. Their father had said so. He had not told Yuuta to remind Fuji.

But somehow Yuuta wasn't able to enjoy supper that evening and he was restless half the night.

When morning came, and Yuuta stumbled out of bed, Fuji's cry of dismay was all he needed to hear to know that they were probably robbed during the night. Yuuta heard the thorough scolding tousan gave his nisaan before telling Fuji that he would go with his mother and sister that summer.

Fuji gasped. "But I-"

"No!" their father thundered. "This year you will not be staying. How can I put more responsibility on you when you can't handle what you already have?"

Yuuta looked on, feeling guilty, as his mother, sister, and brother left that evening. _I didn't know this would happen_, he thought. _I should have told Aniki about the open safe_.

All that summer, with Fuji away, Yuuta had as much work as he could handle opening and closing gates for the tourists that came. His hoard of coins grew, until at last he knew he had the right amount of money for the tennis racquet he wanted. But the thought did not give him the pleasure he expected. He didn't feel like buying a hand-made racquet anymore.

Fuji soon returned with the others when summer was over. Still Yuuta did not buy the racquet.

Since his return, Fuji had not said a word of his vanished dream of the harmonica. Instead he had sat down and started hand making a new racquet with his skilled, talented hands.

He probably just enjoys beating me at tennis matches, Yuuta thought bitterly. Still he did not order his racquet.

Soon Christmas came. That peaceful time of year where all around you are lights and happy, laughing people. There was no place for Yuuta's grudge in this atmosphere.

It would soon be Christmas Day. Yuuta's heart was feeling heavy_. What can I do to bring peace between Aniki and me?_ he wondered.

He had still not bought his racquet, and suddenly he knew he was never going to. He could get along another year with the clumsy, too-large racquet he owned. There was something far more important he had to do with his collection of coins.

With a new lift in his heart, Yuuta jumped on his bike and peddled as fast as he could towards downtown. When he came flying back over the sidewalk half an hour later, he had the beautiful harmonica hidden in his pocket.

_I'll tell Aniki that he deserves it and that I'm sorry for holding such a grudge against him, _he thought. _I'll tell him he was right in calling me silly for saying he cheated. He won fair and square._

But when he, at last, found Fuji in the tool house he said nothing. He could not tell him anything.

For Fuji, putting on the last of the grip tape on the new racquet, was smiling shyly at Yuuta. "Saa…there you are!" he said, waving off-handedly at the racquet. "If this won't improve your tennis playing, you'd better take to flying."

Yuuta stood there for a moment, speechless at the gift of Shuuske's hand and heart. He felt Christmas come rushing into the very center of his being, on a warm river of peace and happiness. Then, silently, he took the harmonica from his pocket and held it out.

"For you, Ankik," he said, smiling back. Both brothers nodded at each other, knowing Christmas this year would be wonderful, filled with beautiful music. But the upcoming tennis tournament, would be better!

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**See I can write something besides Corporal Punishment. Ta-da! REVIEW!**


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